Eutelsat Konnect VHTS en route to launch site
July 21, 2022
By Chris Forrester
Eutelsat’s powerful Konnect VHTS (Very High Throughput Satellite) is on its way to its French Guiana launch site.
The satellite will handle 500 Gb/s of capacity and deliver broadband and mobile connectivity across Europe and beyond. Eutelsat Konnect VHTS is the largest geostationary satellite ever ordered to date in Europe and will embark the most powerful on-board digital processor, offering capacity allocation flexibility and an optimal spectrum use.
It was moved from its manufacturer (Thales Alenia Space) and embarked by sea in time for a launch date on an Arianespace rocket currently scheduled for September 6th.
This new-generation satellite, offering a capacity seven times that of its brother satellite Eutelsat Konnect launched in 2020, comes with several major and firmly committed customers for satellite broadband connectivity, namely Orange via its Nordnet affiliate for the French coverage, Telecom Italia Mobile over Italy and Thales Alenia Space to serve notably the government connectivity services. Eutelsat says these commitments “showcase the ability of satellites to provide an attractive solution for bridging the digital divide, at a time when access to connectivity plays a major role in both economic and social development”.
Pascal Homsy, CTO at Eutelsat, commented: “With Eutelsat Konnect VHTS we are bringing connectivity to a next level. Defying the odds, it is the most powerful satellite to join the Eutelsat fleet. It will deliver 230 beams over Western Europe and is equipped with a Digital Transparent Processor of 5th generation which will give a considerable advantage in terms of frequency flexibility onboard. A state-of-the-art piece of the finest technology built by our partners Thales Alenia Space that I would like to hereby acknowledge as Eutelsat Konnect VHTS sets off for the Guiana Space Center.”